Maria of Vitebsk

Maria of Vitebsk (died before 1349) was the first wife of Algirdas, future Grand Duke of Lithuania (marriage took place around 1318).

Very little is known about her life. The only child of a Russian prince Yaroslav,{{cite book |title=Vitebsk: the Life of Art |first=Aleksandra Semenovna |last=Shatskikh |author2=Katherine Foshko Tsan |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-300-10108-9 |page=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cg4kkYvTKw4C&pg=PA2}} Maria was the only heir to the Principality of Vitebsk.{{in lang|lt}} {{cite book |first=Zenonas |last=Ivinskis |title=Lietuvos istorija iki Vytauto Didžiojo mirties |year=1978 |location=Rome |publisher=Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija |page=239|lccn=79346776 }} After her father's death ca. 1345, Vitebsk fell permanently under control of Algirdas and other Gediminids.{{cite book | title=Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345 | first=S. C. | last=Rowell | page=84 | year=1994 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | series=Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series| isbn=978-0-521-45011-9 }}

Maria gave birth to five sons, all of whom grew up while Algirdas was still only a regional duke in Christianized lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. All five sons were baptized in Orthodox rite and ruled Russian lands giving rise to prominent clans of Russian dukes (Trubetskoy family from Demetrius I Starshy, Czartoryski family from Constantine, Sanguszko family from Fiodor, Belsky and Olelkovich families from Vladimir).{{in lang|lt}} {{cite book |first=Zenonas |last=Ivinskis |title=Lietuvos istorija iki Vytauto Didžiojo mirties |year=1978 |location=Rome |publisher=Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija |page=259|lccn=79346776 }}

After Maria's death, Algirdas married another Russian princess, Uliana of Tver. After Algirdas' death, the eldest sons of Maria and Uliana battled over succession rights.